Aquarius (American TV series)

Aquarius is set in 1967 Los Angeles, blending real historical figures with fictional elements. The series follows LAPD detective Sam Hodiak, who is investigating the disappearance of Emma Karn, a teenage girl, with the help of his younger colleague, undercover officer Brian Shafe. Their investigation leads them to Charles Manson and his "family," a group of followers under Manson's control. The first season centers on Manson's growing influence, while the second focuses on the Tate murders and Manson's belief in an impending race war, which he called "helter skelter." ==Cast==

Main cast • David Duchovny as Sam Hodiak • Grey Damon as Brian Shafe • Emma Dumont as Emma Karn • Michaela McManus as Grace Karn • Brían F. O'Byrne as Ken Karn • Chance Kelly as Ed Cutler • Ambyr Childers as Susan "Sadie" Atkins • Madisen Beaty as Patty Krenwinkel — Beaty reprised this role in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. • Cameron Deane Stewart as Tex Watson Recurring cast • Jason Ralph as Mike Vickery • Beau Mirchoff as Rick Zondervan • Tara Lynne Barr as Katie (season 1) • David Meunier as Roy Kovic • Jodi Harris as Opal Hodiak • Chris Sheffield as Walt Hodiak • Don Luce as Sal Dunphy • Leah Bateman as Janet • Clare Carey as Lucille Gladner • Lobo Sebastian as Guapo • Jade Tailor as Rachel • Marshall Allman as Robbie Arthur • Michael Drayer as Jimmy "Too" Butano • Abby Miller as Mary "Mother Mary" Brunner • Alex Quijano as Joe Moran • James Martinez as Ruben Salazar • Gabriel Chavarria as Juan • Tim Griffin as Ron Kellaher • Omar J. Dorsey as Ralph Church • Alison Rood as Meg Frazetta • Amanda Brooks as Sharon Tate • Mark Famiglietti as Jay Sebring • Johnny Kostrey as Wojciech Frykowski • Andy Favreau as Dennis Wilson • Calum Worthy as Steven Parent • Jennifer Marsala as Abigail Folger • Chase Coleman as Terry Melcher • Mark L. Young as Bobby Beausoleil • Jefferson White as Gary Hinman • Olivia Taylor Dudley as Billie Gunderson ==Production==

Series creator John McNamara described Aquarius as "historical fiction," blending real-life figures like Charles Manson with fictional characters and events to create a dramatized narrative set in 1967 Los Angeles. While inspired by Manson's infamous cult and the socio-political climate of the era, the show incorporates fictional storylines, historical events, and cultural references to highlight key social issues of the 1960s. NBC published a blog to provide historical context for the events portrayed in the series. The soundtrack prominently features songs from the 1960s, with each episode named after iconic tracks from the era, including some associated with the Manson Family. Notably, Season 2 episode titles are all named after tracks from The Beatles' "White Album", reflecting Manson's obsession with their music (and that album in particular). The series is rated TV-14 for NBC broadcasts, though an unrated version with more explicit content was released on DVD. Initially envisioned as a six-season show, Aquarius was renewed for a second season in June 2015, but it was ultimately canceled after two seasons. ==Episodes==

Season 1 (2015) Season 2 (2016) Season 2 debuted on June 16, 2016, with a two-hour, commercial-free event that constituted the first three episodes. Webisodes The Summer of Love is a series of four short webisodes. They are set in San Francisco in 1967 during the Summer of Love, before the events of season 1, where Charlie gathers his first followers Mary, Katie, and Sadie. ==Broadcast==

Aquarius premiered on NBC on May 28, 2015. After the broadcast, NBC made all 13 episodes of the first season available for a four-week period on its website, mobile app, and Hulu, while continuing to air episodes weekly in the regular television slot. In Australia, the series debuted the following day, May 29, 2015, on the streaming platform Presto, releasing all episodes for 28 days. The show later premiered on television via the Seven Network on August 26, 2015. The second season was similarly aired on Presto simultaneously with its U.S. release. ==Reception==

Critical response Season 1 of Aquarius received mixed or average reviews, with a Metacritic score of 58/100, based on 36 critic reviews. Glenn Garvin of Reason praised the series for going beyond the typical retelling of the Charles Manson story, highlighting its portrayal of the 1960s' epic social battles around race, gender, drugs, and the Vietnam War. He also commended the show for its "killer 1960s soundtrack." Ratings These Nielsen ratings reflect the regular TV broadcast, but do not include the online binge-watching that was made possible by releasing the complete series on demand even before the TV broadcast. Those online view numbers, however, are not publicly available. NBC claims they helped gaining insight into online viewing behavior. Overall Season 1 Season 2 == Awards ==

Aquarius was among the eight series to win the Most Exciting New Series at the 5th Critics' Choice Television Awards in 2015. ==References==